Expert review by Gemma Heathcote.
Stud is considered the predecessor of all poker varieties. It was widely used in the Americas during the Civil War. In the last century, it didn’t lose its popularity until the advent of Texas Hold’em and Omaha. Beginners pushed the “old man” far from the first place in terms of demand. However, the number of Stud poker connoisseurs is still quite large, and you can play it in many online poker rooms.
The rules of Limit Stud are fundamentally different from Hold’em, where all beginners start their poker journey. Fundamental differences also affect the choice of game strategy, so it’s quite difficult for poker players to quickly reorganize when switching from Texas Hold’em to Stud. Beginning players are advised by experts to not turn to this type of poker until they reach a certain level of mastery in Hold’em.
As mentioned earlier, the rules of this type of game are completely different from the usual disciplines. It should be noted that Limit Stud means Seven Card Stud Poker, since the no-limit format is not provided here at all, and the pot-limit option is so rare that it’s almost impossible to find such an offer in online rooms.
Therefore, the bet sizes in the game are strictly limited by the rules, which will be discussed in detail below.
No more than eight players play at the Limit Stud Poker tables. This is related to the number of cards. If all poker players remain in the game until the showdown, there won’t be enough cards for more players.
Even if there are eight players at the table on the last street, they will only be able to receive one community card, instead of a closed card each.
There are no community cards in Limit Stud, only seven cards in hands. Despite the player having seven cards, of which three remain closed, and the remaining four are visible to all opponents, the player can use only five cards to make a combination. At the same time, one should consider how predictable it will be for other participants.
There are no blind bets in the form of small and big blinds. Instead, all participants are required to pay an ante. The mandatory bet forms the starting pot, typically between ten and twenty per cent of the table’s minimum bet. There’s another mandatory bet in the game called “bring-in” and it’s the first action after receiving the first cards.
When determining the player who will open the bidding street, the seniority of the suits may be considered if a disputable situation arises. In Limit Stud, Pike is considered to be the strongest suit, while Clubs are considered the weakest. In terms of influence, Heart is second to Pike, while Tambourine is ahead of Club only.
There are five betting rounds in this variation of poker. They are named after the number of cards the players have: the first is Third Street, and so on. The last auction is called Seventh Street or the River, followed by a Showdown if more than one player is left.
The distribution begins with determining the dealer and paying an ante. The required bet is usually 10% of the SB (minimum bet) when it comes to low limits. With their increase, the ante can rise, however, the maximum amount of the contribution to the starting pot should not exceed 25%.
In the first round, the table participants receive three cards from the dealer, two of which are closed, and one is presented to the public. The poker player with the card with the lowest face value is the first to enter the auction on Third Street. If several players have such cards, the suit seniority takes effect.
The first player must make a bet, which is half of the minimum bet often agreed-upon priorly or according to table rules for a given betting round. Further bets are made clockwise. During the first two rounds of trading, the bet size cannot exceed SB.
On Fourth and subsequent streets, the player with the strongest combination of open cards starts the round. From Fifth Street, participants get the right to bet large sums. During the distribution, poker players receive one open card in all rounds, except for the final one. On the River, each participant receives the final card face down, and the bidding is opened by the player who did it in the previous round.
At each stage of trading, it’s allowed to raise the rate only four times. The fourth raise means that the ceiling has been reached, so it’s only allowed to call the last raise.
At the Showdown, if the game has reached it, the combinations of the remaining participants are opened and evaluated. The demonstration is started by the player who last bet into the pot or made a raise.
Summing up the above rules, here are the rates and their limits in this discipline:
The table limit is indicated in its name. For example, $10-$20, where the first indicator is the size of the bet on the first two rounds of trading, with the second number indicating the bet limit for the rest of the game.
Ante payment is mandatory. Its size can vary from 10% to 25%.
On Third Street, the first bidder’s bid is mandatory. If the player refuses to carry out the Bring-in, he’s automatically out.
Only four raises can be placed in each betting round.
Limit Stud is a variation of poker completely different from Hold’em and Omaha. Considering all the features of the game, it’s necessary to select a separate strategy for it, which is based on the understanding of all the intricacies of the gameplay. That is why experts advise inexperienced players not to switch to this discipline, since they won’t be able to quickly get used to the tables, which will negatively affect their game account.